So, there I was....minding my own business a week ago last Saturday. My phone dings and it's a text from the guests staying in the Guest House. Apparently, the Heater/Air Conditioner isn't doing anything and is displaying a code in red. It's in the Mid-70's, so not an emergency, but...It's expected to get cooler that night. I walk down to the Guest House fully expecting to use the tried and true technique used by both aircraft crew chiefs and technology folks throughout the world.
Beans, c'mon, you know this one donch'a?
Turn it off, turn it back on.
So, I do, fully expecting the round of applause for my heroic brilliance.
Which I'm sure I'd have gotten if the AC had come back on.
So, I go and cycle the Circuit Breaker.
Nada.
Well, crap! That's why we pay for premium service from the Company.
He shows up about 30 minutes later.
Yes, Beans in spite of what I told him I tried already, he turned it off and back on then cycled the circuit breaker. Thankfully/unthankfully (My Ego/My Guests), he had no better luck than I.
So, he calls his boss who tells him to check the wiring to the rapty-fratser or something. After unscrewing half the screws in the western hemisphere, he peers in and discovered that some rat bastid (or is it bastid rat) had chewed through the sensor wire.
"juvat, we'll have to order a new rapty-fratser. It's Saturday, we'll send the order today, but...nobody will read it until Monday, so you're looking at Tuesday...Wednesday at the latest. "
I convey this information to our guest, who happens to be a plumber. He says "No problem, I deal with that supply problem all the time."
So I drive down to Lowes and buy an oscillating heater to keep them all warm if it chills off during the remainder of their visit.
Wednesday comes and goes, and we've got Guests this weekend. Granted they're Family and it's the "Gathering of the Clan" for the Lighted Christmas Parade, but gotta make an impression, right? So, Mrs J calls the Air Conditioner Guys. They said they'll check on the parts status and get back to us.
Well...They do. It's a good d**n thing the forecast is warm for the weekend. Evidently, the part is off the coast of California on a container ship and isn't expected to be allowed to dock and offload till the end of the month at the earliest.
HELLUVA fine job you're doing, Mr Buttgieg! And you want to be President? Why? So you can make slow Joe look competent?
YGBSM!
Let's think Happy Thoughts, juvat!
Happy Thoughts, Aye Sarge.
 |
| Mother and Daughter having a snooze in GrandDad's chair. Don't get no happier than that! |
Our second annual "Gathering of the Clans" occurred this past weekend. SIL's immediate Family arrived Friday. The juvat Clan was underrepresented as Little J and DIL won't arrive in country until Dec 29th (and they'll be jet lagged badly, so we won't see them until the 30th). That having been said a good time was had by all and we tailgated at the FBG annual lighted Christmas Parade. The parade had been canceled last year because of you know wu. But the City grew a pair and went ahead with it this year. Very nice evening, low 70's at parade start. And this was the first viewing for SIL's family. The parade lasted 2 hours (the longest time TxDOT will allow US87/290 to be closed, but here come the highlights.
Almost like normal.
Can't go wrong with lighted tubas IMO. As to supply chain issues one has to start warehousing stuff at home it seems. As to your two sleepers there the word "calm" springs to mind. Fine post juvat.
ReplyDeleteBoth Little J and MBD were in the Tuba section, so it holds a special place in our hearts. I suppose you're right, Nylon, when I was working on my Masters, Just in Time supply was coming in to being as a way to save money and be more efficient. I was worried then and wish I'd been wrong now. Hopefully, companies will recognize the error of their ways and build a bit more pad into their inventories. Which would do wonders to reduce the amount of influence the producing country has over ours. (If you know what I mean and I know you do.)
DeleteYeah, "calm" is a good description. Had to fight off the urge for an immediate nap as I took the pic, also.
Very nice parade, Fredericksburg looks like a classic American town, love it.
ReplyDeleteYour granddaughter is so precious, she's adorable!
Like everywhere, its got its plusses and minuses. However, we still feel like it's home. Come on Down! We've got plenty of room with high hopes of cooling before temps get to warm.
DeleteYeah, it's been so long since MBD and Little J were that age, I had forgotten how much the learn each day. She's much more aware of her surroundings and starting to show a little bit of personality. In short, she's definitely a keeper!
It is a very nice town, with an amazing museum for the size of the town, home with Nimitz helps
DeletePretty crowded around that Museum today, for some reason or another!;-)
DeleteHah! I, too, was in the tuba section once upon a time. Explains a lot.
ReplyDeleteJust In Time works perfectly in a perfect world without interruption, but completely fails in a real world with any interruption. I suspect one reason it worked so well in Japan where it was largely popularized was the fact that it was all in country manufacturing. Much more reliable supply chains. This, along with "the consumer is the ultimate good and lowest price the ultimate goal" have done more to undermine our economy than all the crackpot economic theories (which often do not get put into practice).
I do think that for years down the road, the display of incompetence before us will continue to dog the people that displayed it.
Thanks for sharing the pictures! My hometown in Old Home also somehow managed to hold their parade (after being canceled last year) in spite of the current whatever variant fear X we are in now.
Picture of mom and granddaughter is the best.
TB,
DeleteThanks. I think being in the Band and the Tuba Section did wonders for both my kid's self confidence. Mrs. J and I were very concerned about Little J entering high school. In fact, that was the primary factor in both her and my decision to retire from the AF and leave the DC area. They both made good friends who they still are in contact with and gave them self confidence. So...no regrets on either of our parts to retire.
I think you're right about JIT and in-country manufacturing. There still could be problems, but we wouldn't be held hostage by another country which I suspect is happening now.
As to incompetence,, I think of that comedy sketch that (adjusted slightly to make the point) goes: "You think Joe's incompetent? Hold my beer!"
Glad to hear your parade went off as well.
I thinks it's a great picture also.
Thanks
Correction: JIT works only if all parameters stay the same. No increase or decrease of sales of end product. No breakdowns or switchovers of any key equipment. No increase or decrease of materials cost - even going down to the base core material that makes the individual pieces.
DeleteIt is a fallacy. A completely false assumption. Like communism or socialism, sounds good (to some people) on paper but nobody ever actually gets it to work right.
Beans,
DeleteYeah, you're probably right about that also. And the likeness to those political beliefs is correct. Control of all variables is required in all three instances and complete and total control of people is impossible to achieve for more than a microsecond, which is why they never work right.
Beans - Perhaps another way to say it is that JIT is simply a construct that works for any number of things are all true. If any of those things are not true, it does not work.
DeleteArguably, it was probably not working a long time before the current situation. Our Political And Social Betters (OPASB) do not seem to encourage that sort of review, however.
Juvat - We did the same thing. We had an opportunity to move back to Old Home in 2014 but decided not to as it would have upset the social balance that Nighean Gheal (the oldest) had with her friends and activities at the time. It kept coming up but we kept having kids in high school - I was the beneficiary of spending all four years at the same school and found it incredibly strengthening for life after (my best friends currently as well are the ones I had in high school). We have one more to finish, and then we will see what other options present themselves.
DeleteHigh today forecast to be 10°F(-14°C), winds 10-30 mph from the NW; I think winter's on its way. Our furnace problem is now diagnosed. Part is ordered (and delivered.) It's so old that one of the balls in the blower bearing has a flat spot. If it stops just right, it "settles" there, and when it starts, does not turn. Safety then shuts off the furnace. Temporary solution: when this happens, turn off electric power to fan, open chamber, turn fan by hand a couple of inches, close chamber, restore power.
ReplyDelete:)
Grand daughter :) :)
I love parades!
htom,
DeleteStay warm.
And thanks. I thought that the wind chill would be pretty extreme, so binged (I don't Google if possible) those data points and came up with a "Feels Like of -12). In so doing, I found a site that I'm pretty sure I'll be wasting a lot of time on. That would be Good Calculators.com. If there's a problem that needs calculating, it looks like they've got a calculator for it.
Glad your part has been delivered. Sounds like your furnace is just like my knees. Sometimes they just settle and stop working. ;-)
Thanks
Parade.
ReplyDeleteI would have enjoyed seeing that, and I really would have enjoyed the tailgating.
Based on what I had to learn to film and edit my wife's school shows, I say well done to Team juvat Productions.
When the manger scene flashed on the screen my mind produced an image of three cowboys in a real stable bringing gifts.
There were folks on either side of the pickup who were eyeing the spread, but with 14 to feed....
DeleteThanks, John,
One of the other Church floats actually had that exact enactment, unfortunately, it was traveling a little faster than Mrs. J's camera was able to focus...I thought it was pretty cool also.
"in spite of what I told him I tried already..."
ReplyDeletefirst law of troubleshooting, never believe or trust what someone else says they did.
learned during many, many years of working on aircraft, computers, phone systems, etc.
Yeah, I know and did the same thing when called out on a computer problem. And the wallet side of me was glad he did as it allowed me a free look to see what else he tested/did in the troubleshooting phase. Knowledge is money and knowing another step in the process usually saves a weekend visit by an expensive teacher. Unfortunately, in this case....
DeleteVery nice pics from Mrs J!! And wonderful editing there sir!!
ReplyDeleteYes, this year Schenectady decided that they would do the annual Holiday Parade--which is always the Saturday after turkey day...no, I didn't go, because of 2 reasons---one is the crowds--never liked them long before anyone even thought of the wu flu, and reason two is it was rather chilly that night, and I was home, warm and cozy. Besides, the local TV channel broadcasts it so anyone who can't get there can still see it if ya choose.
It does give me hope as the long-time annual celebrations like the Saratoga Springs and Troy Victorian Strolls and the Troy Turkey Trot all seem to be coming back...the Lake George Polar Bear Plunge was this past Saturday and it certainly was NOT 70...more like in the 30's. But seeing these makes me hopeful that folks are tired of being afraid, and are starting to use some common sense, enjoying living life again. I have had I can't tell you how many elderly patients tell me that they were less than thrilled to have the State or the .gov telling them what they could or couldn't do, or how they were to be allowed to celebrate holidays. They missed their grandkids, and the great-grands as well as their children. And many were very clear about how that affected them emotionally. " Why do I want to live any longer if I can't see the folks I love" one 96 year old lady asked me...some questions just really nail it. "I'm 96! I know I'm going to die. But first I want to hug my daughter again!!"
She had gotten the vaccines, and was going to go to Thanksgiving. Told her "no kissing, and wash your hands" and she went and had a wonderful time. Her daughter is looking for another job that she can do from home, so if it looks like another lock-down, Mom is coming to live with them instead of in the big buck assisted living place.
I sincerely hope that a couple of the unintended consequences of this past year's craziness is there is more manufacturing done here in this country, that folks realize the current supply lines are long chains, not supply lines, and that families realize that the most important stuff in life isn't stuff, but that it's people...your people!!
Enjoy this Christmas season with a baby, juvat!! Even though they can be little mobile petri dishes (my 2 1/2 year old grandson is prime example #1) we still love to see them. First year in day care--everyone in the family will get something this year. After he leaves I get out the clorox wipes and wipe down all surfaces below waist height. Lol. But between having to clean house after he leaves, or not seeing them...he can come over any time and spread all the germs he wants!!
Thanks, Suz,
DeleteI have and Uncle and Aunt that used to live in Saratoga Springs, came up to visit them in the summer before my Senior year in HS. Beautiful country. They now live in Martha's Vineyard which, I'm sure, tells you a lot.
I think you're right about the "tired of being afraid", there was only one float where the entirety of the people on it were wearing masks. It was the float of a particular political party. I'm sure you can guess which one on the first try. Suffice it to say "Let's go Brandon" was heard a lot and a wave of clapping cessation accompanied it the entire length of Main St as it passed. Gives me hope!
I like the Lady's spirit. Life's not worth living if you can't be with people you enjoy, doing things you enjoy with them.
I agree and think a lot of folks in the various parts of the US Economy are starting to realize a Centrally Controlled country as your single supplier of virtually all goods is an incredibly naïve policy. Incredibly Naïve being the calling card of a certain political party described above.
We are looking forward to our post-Christmas Day Christmas. All 4 sections of our globally spread family will be reunited. At this point in the MG's life everyone else is the petri dish and MBD is polite, but insistent, on hand washing and other sanitation habits prior to holding her. Next year? We'll see what happens. However, I'm very proud of MBD's mothering skills. From the outside, she acts like she's been doing it for years. They've got a lot of balls in the air, with school (SIL), work (MBD) and parenting, so what's going on inside the head may not be as calm. But that's what Grandparents are for.
Mothering skills tend to be learned from your mom...unless she was a total head case, in which the skills learned are the ones of what not to do...and yes, washing hands before handling the little kiddos is a good idea...certainly anyone under the age of about 3 years is NO FUN AT ALL to deal with when having head colds...hafta use those stupid nose sucker thingys...which I hate almost as much as the victim. However, saying "blow your nose for me sweetie" accompanied with wrinkling nose and snorting noises usually results in a great big inhale...and totally defeats the purpose of the entire exercise. So, yeah, no going to cuddle the little cutie if you are germy, and wash your hands before handling the merchandise.
DeleteGrandparents are for looking much smarter now then they were about 6 months ago...something about becoming a parent yourself makes your parents look like maybe they aren't quite so nuts after all. Enjoy your cuddle sessions!!
Suz, If mothering skills tend to be learned from your mom, then MBD is going to be a great one. Mrs J certainly was.
DeleteCuddle Sessions, will do!
Welp, back in the ancient days (smacks denture-less gums) we'uns used to do this thing called 'fixin' that required 'solder' and 'compression-held joints' and 'electrical tape' to fix broken or chewed wires. You young-uns have things too easy... Yep. (smacks denture-less gums.)
ReplyDeleteSeriously. Oh, no, rattus bastardus chewed through a wire or two. Hmmm. It's not like there's whole sections of every hardware store (and even Walmart) that have little electrical connection thingies and wire and sealant and tape and this thing and the other thing, and even a semi-qualified monkeyboy can strip a wire, connect a jumper, tape it all up and have it hold until the new part comes in.
Jiminy Crickets, even I and my fumble-bumble fingers have been able to do that. That's how I kept my '91 Chrysler Imperial POS whose wiring harness was melting because of use of some 'green' wiring insulation that attracted rats and mice and squirrels and left-handed Venusians like free icecream attracts 4 year olds. Heck, one year my main fan motor blew out of my HVAC system and I didn't have enough cash to replace the whole thing and the HVAC/Motor Supply (back before you could buy everything online) only had a motor for a cooling system (and not rated for a heating system) and I put the damned cool-only motor in because who needs a friggin heater in Florida? Not I.
Holy Hanna, if I could do repairs (with a stained glass soldering iron) and have it work, gee, what could a 'qualified field technician' trained in some esoteric schooling like, you know, electrical repair of HVAC systems, do with basically the same set-up?
GAAAAHHHHH!!!! This! This is what is wrong with the world. I can understand if a board or a capacitor or a resistor or a weird-only-used-by-this-model motor or squirrel cage or whatever went 'blooie' and you had to wait. But wire? WIRE? WWWIIIIIRRRREEEE???? Wert The FerK?
What is wrong with people these days? Can nobody think past 'plug and play' even for an emergency? GAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!
This is like when I found that the waste-water pipe from bathroom sink to the main drain pipe in the apartment bathroom was leaking and the maintenance idiot came and found that none of the pipes were actually, you know, glued in. And then he didn't know how to fix the issue because he couldn't bend the pipes to fix and glue because he's never heard of pvc joints, either hard or those that you can screw together.
Duhhh.... Go to hardware store. Go to applicable section (electrical, plumbing, paint, whatever) and just feast one's eyes on eleven-seventy thousand different possible solutions to a problem.
Durr-duh-durrrr.
Muh brain hurtssss... Duh.
Friggin incompetent world!!!
Beans,
DeleteWell what the guy said was when the rat chewed the wire it shorted out the sensor when he got through the wire coating. There was a relatively large section of that missing around the broken wire.
Oh, and nice holiday parade. We don't have one in our town because it would cause flaming butt-hurt-itis amongst the liberal jackwagons.
ReplyDeleteBeans,
DeleteAs I said in my reply to Suz, as that float made its way down the route, the clapping and cheering ceased and was replaced with a wave of "Let's Go Brandon" (in actuality interspersed with the version that was actually being chanted in that recorded interview). That hasn't happened in prior parades when that float came through. Cheering and clapping lessened, but no pushback from the clouds. We'll have to wait and see if it has any discernable effect.
Totally awesome as to the town's reaction to the LGB faction. In this town a float with an American flag gets that treatment. Or having an American flag at the college's 3rd of July fireworks display (and socialist screed event,) the top reason why Mrs. Andrew and I stopped going to said fireworks display.
DeleteI can see why. I probably would also.
DeleteOur Christmas parade was Saturday night. Combat Medic beat feet on Friday. They had fireworks, a band, and suttlers on the square. The finale on the fireworks sounded like DPICM. I'm glad CM was elsewhere. That trigger is something I don't like to see. The rolling booms got me out of my seat in a hurry, until I figured out what it was.
ReplyDeleteIf that sensor wire was actually a pressure tube, then yikes! I don't remember what they call those. I used to know. Thermostat is the broad name, but there was another one relating to the pressure tube type, not the bimetal or wax pellet. hmmmm.....
I had a Ratticus Bar Bastardus get in the house a few weeks back. Finally got him. The sticky trap near the extension cord has 2 lbs of rat fur stuck to it and the cord is gnawed upon. I wish he'd shorted himself out. Funny messes are not as bad as normal messes to clean up in my warped mind. Mouse trap knocked him down and a heavy object to the atlas finished the job. Vermin.... yeech....
Grandkids were explained to me as the children most little girls dream of. Only happy times. Any mess or fuss, and it's back to mom for the fix. Ha!
He didn't use thermostat, I would have recognized and basically known about that. It was something close to that though. Thermistor? I didn't worry about it too much when he said it would be installed in a couple of days. Now? Fortunately we got the second guest house up and running, so we're just moving guests into it instead. But...it would have been nice to have two houses up as we've already had to turn people away.
DeleteBourdon tube? That popped up from some distant memory.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
DeleteI don't think so. My mind, being what it is, would have remembered that as Bourbon Tube. :-) My mind is a funny thing. This was some kind of ????istor and not Transistor.
Very nice, and yes, parts are in SHORT supply...
ReplyDelete